Fresh & Modern Cottage Spring Mantel Decorating
Does your decor style lean toward cottagecore but with a more current twist? Check out how I styled my spring mantel with elements of cottagecore while keeping a fresh, updated look.
The Cottage Trend in Decor
If you’re here, I’m guessing you’re a fan of cottagecore decor. I hate putting labels on decor styles, because I really can’t narrow it down to one. I probably land more in the ‘transitional’ decor style – but also sometimes in rustic, modern farmhouse, organic modern, or cottage.
See what I mean?
I don’t really worry about label for myself – I know what I like! lol – but it helps to be able to define it a little bit for the sake of a blog post and sharing ideas. Today, I’d call my style cottagecore home decor with a modern twist.
So, let’s me outline a few of the basics of cottage decor – modern cottage decor, maybe even? And I’ll show you how I put it together for my spring mantel.
The Basics of Modern Cottage Home Decor
Here are a few ways to describe this a modern cottagecore home decor aesthetic:
Color Palette
-
- Soft neutrals (creams, whites, light grays) with pops of pastels or warmer, nature-inspired hues (sage green, soft blues, warm terracotta).
- Natural wood tones to add warmth and contrast.
Natural Materials
-
- Wood, stone, rattan, linen, cotton, and vintage metals (like brushed brass or matte black hardware).
- Woven baskets, pottery, clay, reclaimed wood beams, and handcrafted details.
Decor Accents
-
- A mix of old and new: vintage-inspired decor and thrifted treasures alongside modern, clean-lined pieces
- Handmade decor: Personal and unique DIY projects and upcycled decor
- Personal keepsakes and items that are meaningful and significant
- Books, planters, collected pottery, candles
- Organic material: ideally real flowers (fresh or dried), herbs, or greenery – but faux is good, too!
- Curated collections (avoids clutter to keep them together and created visual interest!)
- Wall art with a mix of vintage art and modern prints.
Overall, the modern cottage aesthetic is inviting, bright, warm and cozy.
The modern cottagecore aesthetic has a feel that is organic and fresh, yet timeless.
The modern cottage aesthetic has space to breath – light and airy, more minimalist-leaning, not cliche or cluttered.
How to Style a Light and Airy Spring Mantel in Modern Cottage Style
This post contains affiliate links. See Disclosures for details.
Let me share how I decorated my mantel in a neutral, modern cottage aesthetic. I’ll talk through the pictures and highlight how I incorporated modern cottage style.
Full Mantel Aesthetic
Below is a picture of the full area I decorated, including the built-ins. You can use those same ideas on mantels and built-ins – but I included it because many fireplace areas have built-ins as well.
You can see right away that it is a light and airy aesthetic, mostly in neutral, warmer colors. It leans more minimalist, with specifically items chosen.
Below you can see it zoomed in just little bit closer. I’ll talk through the mantel itself in more details, but on the hearth, you can see a woven basket with a lightweight spring blanket on one side.
On the other side (right), you can see a tray that I upcycled that has candles of varying heights, with some eucalyptus garland draped around the bottom.
So let’s look at the mantel itself.
Here you can see it’s a mix of old and new… the mirror, the sign a hint of more updated and fresh decor styles. The other objects have more of a vintage or rustic feel to them.
Left Side Mantel
Above, you can see that I used several cottagecore elements… books, candles, terracotta planter, florals.
The candlestick holders from Hearth and Hand are modern but are vintage inspired. The candlesticks themselves have a more modern feel to them.
I love to stack books, but here’s where it’s personal for me. These are books I love and have read! They aren’t just antique books I found at a yard sale or thrift sore (which are fine and look amazing – and I use them, too!).
This is a great way to display and store some of my favorite books.
The antique planter is from my sister… not sure where she got it, but I love that it has a vintage feel, which coordinates with the other cream-colored metal votive on the other side of the mirror.
Around the planter is a charm a friend made me years ago that has the lyrics of a song I used to sing to my sons at bedtime. Another meaningful piece I used as decor.
The faux tulips in the planter add a splash of color in warm hues to a neutral palette. I also included moss-covered rocks (Dollar Tree!) in the planters for some organic flair.
The terracotta planter is from Magnolia (you can faintly see the imprint), but any terracotta planter will do! (This is a similar one from Magnolia that is beautiful!)
***Pro Tip: Use meaningful pieces of decor to mix in with other store-bought decor… DIY projects, keepsakes, meaningful books, etc.
***Pro Tip: Display hardcover books you’ve read and loved just by removing the paper jackets!
Right Side Mantel
First, on the right side, you can see a framed piece of wall art.
The wood bead frame is a repurposed Hobby Lobby piece, which adds a little bit of wood texture and a modern farmhouse touch, along with the wood bead candle holder.
The print is a custom design I made myself to fit the frame, with one of my favorite Bible verses, Isaiah 43:1. The colors also coordinate with the rest of the color palette on the mantel. (I did not plan it that way – I made the sign a few years before I decorated this mantel!)
You can see some vintage touches, with the metal votive holder (later spray-painted in this cream color), with moss rocks, and antique-inspired candlesticks.
I also included another terracotta planter, this one thrifted. I placed more faux florals in that one to match the color scheme of the flowers on the left side.
And, you can also see a few more of my favorite books stacked up to add some height and layers. (Gentle and Lowly is one of my all-time favorites – one of the most impactful books I’ve read).
Restoration Year devotional is another favorite, and I especially love that the leafy cover fits in perfectly with the rest of the decor. That was a bonus, lol.
When you see the mantel all at once (see below), you can see that it’s not perfectly symmetrical, but it is balanced.
For example: terracotta planters on both sides (same colors), but different planters. Different flowers on both sides but similar colors.
Different candlesticks on both sides, but similar in color and height.
Antique-themed planters in cream color with moss rocks – different containers but similar sizes.
Book stacks on both sides but the height varies just a little bit with 3 books on the left and 2 books on the right.
Because of that, I put the shorter planter with 3 books to give it height, and the taller planter with less books to balance it out.
You can see that it is not too cluttered, either. It is light, airy, and breezy, another element of cottagecore style.
***Pro Tip: You do not need to have the exact same items on both sides of the mantels. But it should be balanced in visual weight in terms of size and color and number.
***Pro Tip: If using your own favorite books to include in your decorating, be sure the hardcovers blend in with your color scheme. If not, there’s always paint!
Left Side Built Ins
If you have built ins, I want to share what I did. You can use these ideas on your mantel as well as built-ins.
In the photo below, I’ll start at the bottom and work my way up.
The bottom shelf is mostly functional for us. I have a woven storage container for our phone chargers, which camouflages it nicely but still ties in with the cottagecore aesthetic.
Next to it is a stylish black diffuser (more modern organic than cottagecore, but who’s keeping track? 🤪) and a farmhouse mason jar with a faux spring bouquet.
The next shelf has another floral arrangement in the center, with a small clay bud vase next to it. You can see how the vase in the center is a little more modern, and the clay bud vase uses natural materials for a more organic feel.
To the left I have more books, this time arranged vertically. Notice that in areas with no sides, like a mantel, I lay my books horizontally. Where there is a wall, I like to utilize it to changes things up and arrange books vertically.
One of those books is a favorite, another is a book just covered with scrapbook paper, and the third book is a vintage gardening book. Next to it is a scented concrete candle from Hearth and Hand (the scent is amazing!), and the textured candle easily complements the rest of the decor.
On the other side of the center vase is another book, this time laying flat. This is a legitimate antique book, copyright 1928 (Marriage Made Easy, which is actually a bit comical, reading it from today’s perspective!), with another cement planter on top, this time in darker gray.
You can see the balance on both sides – candles and books on each side, concrete texture on both side. Different but balanced.
On the top shelf, I have a faux green plant (I try to use real if I can, but this room gets very little natural sunlight) with draping greens, and a butterfly scented candle on the other, both nods to nature.
In the center, I have a curated collection of bottles and vases, some tinted in soft blues and grays.
The glass adds another texture into the mix, and even though it’s less minimalist than the other areas, the clear glass keeps it subtle without making it seem out of place.
It’s also the highest shelf, so I chose this to kind of ‘fill the space’ without it needed to be the star of the show.
***Pro Tip: Curated collections are a nice way to fill space. They add visual interest and create something unique!
***Pro Tip: Don’t be afraid to make a space functional as well as pretty. A house isn’t just to show off. Make it useful for your lifestyle.
Right Side Built In
Here’s a look at the other side of the built in.
On the bottom, I have my favorite display book, Liz Marie Galvin’s Cozy Seasons. I open it up to an appropriate page each season and set in a book holder! Very easy decor!
I also have another similar faux potted plant and a small lamp with a floral shade. The floral patterns definitely lean cottagecore, but it’s also a great way to add ambient lighting. I love turning on this lamp in the morning, before the sun comes up.
This lamp is from Home Goods, but here is a similar lamp from Wayfair that is pretty and has a vintage feel.
The next shelf up has more books, candles, and a real plant! A snake plant is a great option if you don’t get much light and want low maintenance. They only need water every few weeks.
The center tray is an easy DIY, filled with slim hurricane vases and candles. The books are more of my favorites, and I especially like the golden colored book for a pop of color.
The candle has a quote from E.E. Cummings, and I especially love that because I was a high school English teacher. Another meaningful piece of decor to me.
The top shelf is filled with unique pieces as well.
The book on the left is an antique King James Bible that my dad gave me, from the 1800s!
In the center is a water pitched that was thrifted and repainted using the baking soda and paint method (literally just add some baking soda to paint), to add texture and an earthy feel.
Moving to the right are some Dollar Tree terracotta pot that I dry brushed with white paint to give them a more vintage look.
Then mini-eucalyptus tree wrapped in brown paper gives is a more modern feeling. The tree and the mini wreath around the picture as some organic life and pops of green.
That shelf is a whole mix of textures, natural fibers, thrifted finds and antiques, which to me, is checks off many of the cottagecore boxes at once!
***Pro Tip: It’s totally OK to mix different decor styles as well as combining old and new. Just be sure the pieces complement each other and blend together.
***Pro Tip: Upcycled pieces as well as thrifted find as a great way to add in some unique pieces of decor as well as an inexpensive way to add in a vintage or antique vibe.
And one more time, here’s the whole space all together:
I hope you found this helpful and gained some useful ways to incorporate cottagecore style into your home! These ideas are definitely transferrable to other spaces in the house.
For example, this is just a quick glimpse of my hallway, that has a cozy, cottage feel by using just a few different pieces of practical items (hats, totes) I had around the house!
And if you’d like to see even more spring mantel ideas, be sure to take a look at 40 more gorgeous spring mantels!
More Cottagecore Decor Ideas
If you’d like to see more in the way cottagecore style, you might find these posts helpful!
Modern Cottage Spring Decor for a Charming Home
Easter Decor Vignettes in the Charming Cottagecore Aesthetic
10 Charming Cottagecore Style Tips + Summer Wall Art Free Printable
40 Cottage Farmhouse Spring Porches You’ll Fall in Love With
25+ Simple Rustic Cottage Spring Decor Ideas
If you try any of these ideas, I’d love to see them! Tag me on Instagram @100affections or leave a photo comment on Pinterest!
Other thoughts? I’d love to hear them! Leave a comment below!
And if you enjoyed this post, I’d be so grateful if you shared or pinned. Thank you so much!
